Preschool - Mrs. Malone, Ms. Onkka
We began the month of May with an Eric Carle author study and read many of his books about bugs. Can your preschooler tell you why a spider is not an insect? We can tell a bug is an insect if it has 3 body parts, 6 legs, and 2 antennae. We also learned that bugs are very useful!
All of our classes had a ton of fun when our parent volunteers created some fun activities for our Mini Field Days! On May 10th, our 5-day classes put on a wonderful music program for their families.
We finished off the year discussing all of the fun things we are going to do this summer! Thank you again for sharing your children with us. We can’t wait to see what 2024-25 has in store for all of us!
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Kindergarten - Mrs. Guinan, Mrs. Millar, Mrs. Vaughan
We hope your child enjoyed learning in kindergarten as much as we enjoyed teaching them! If you get a chance, encourage your child to read and write and even pull out the flashcards for review. First grade has a great class coming their way!
Have a fun and safe summer!
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First Grade - Mrs. Kleffman, Mrs. Nigrin, Ms. Hermsen
As we look back on the school year, we would like to take this chance to thank each of you for allowing us to be a part of your child's life. The 1st graders have been such a blessing to us this year! In order to transition successfully into 2nd grade, we have the following suggestions for the summer months: Please review addition and subtraction facts through 20 on a regular basis, read to and with your child daily, have them spend time writing about their summer adventures to keep their writing and editing skills current, and make sure to take time for prayer. We also want to extend our sincere thanks for the many hours of volunteering your time and talents to our classroom activities and helping your child be prepared for school each day. Have a GREAT summer!
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Second Grade - Ms. Hargens, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Truscott
Thank you for a wonderful year! It is hard to believe the school year is over. It has been quite the journey. Thank you for all the support you have provided. The students have learned so much socially and academically. As teachers, we love to watch how they blossom over the year. We know they are ready for third grade. Keep practicing math facts and continue to find some new adventures in reading!
We hope you have a safe and relaxing summer!
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Third Grade - Ms. Ruelas, Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Schofield
Everyone has worked so hard to develop and master many new concepts this year, especially writing in cursive and multiplication/division facts. Engaging in reading, writing, and math practice throughout the summer will help students cement these concepts and keep the summer slide at bay.The students can continue to access Xtra Math, Read Theory, and RAZ Reading through the end of July.
The third grade teachers and associates would like to express our gratitude for entrusting us with the education of your children. We have all grown because of the many experiences the students have brought to our lives.
God bless you, and have a safe and relaxing summer!
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Fourth Grade - Mrs. Madison, Mrs. Thede, Mrs. Caito
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In science, students enjoyed doing a field study documenting weathering, erosion, deposition, and root wedging.
We appreciate all the parents’ time and support this year and for sharing the blessing of your children with us. What a joy it has been this year teaching your children and watching them grow academically and socially!
Please have them continue reading and practicing math facts over the summer. Have a safe and relaxing summer!
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Fourth graders worked with their kindergarten buddies to draw an aquarium scene and write a story about their fish!
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Fifth Grade - Mrs. Dotzler, Mrs. Jones, Ms. Salerno
What a year it has been! In English, the students finished the year with writing a personal narrative about a favorite fifth grade memory. They have really grown over the course of the year as writers!
Students ended the social studies year learning about the Civil War, its causes, and Reconstruction.
Throughout the year in science, we started small with the study of atoms and properties of matter. It expanded to living things and the environment in which we live, and finally ended with the vastness of space! It was so fantastic to watch these kids grow in their intellectual curiosity, as they always had questions and wanted to learn more!
Finally, we would like to thank all the parents and students for a wonderful 5th grade year. Ms. Salerno, Mrs. Jones, Mrs. Dotzler, and Mrs. Wallace hope you all have a safe and amazing summer! Good luck in 6th grade!
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Sixth Grade - Mrs. Wane, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Guinotte
Thank you for sharing your children with us this year. It was a pleasure to have them in class. We hope you have a safe and blessed summer. Please remember to read and practice your math facts.
The sixth grade team :-)
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English - Mr. Leever
7th and 8th grade English
To end the year, students completed persuasive essays and gave 3-5 minute speeches based on the essays. This year is the first year that students created slide show/PowerPoint presentations to present along with their speeches.
This year has been very successful with tremendous growth in student writing. I wish the 8th graders success in high school, and I look forward to seeing returning 7th graders in August.
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Science - Ms. Kolberg
7th
Seventh graders finished off the year with the frog dissection. We compared amphibian anatomy to human anatomy and became frog experts! I hope all the seventh graders have a fun-filled summer vacation, and I am looking forward to teaching them again next year.
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8th
Eighth graders capped off their science at SVdP with rocket launching. They learned the basics of cones, fins, and parachutes. We had rockets soar to over 200 feet, and we had one stay aloft over 14 seconds! I hope that they continue to soar in their high schools! I wish them the best for the next four years as they continue with their education.
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Math - Mr. Polacek
First off, let me again say a big “Thank You” to everyone for all of their support throughout this year. The students have so much curriculum to learn, from decimals and percents, to the Pythagorean Theorem and trigonometry, but we really do work on more than just that.
We also emphasize creating good habits for the future in all the classes as we try to prepare them for what lies ahead. Taking notes, asking questions, and showing work are three of the big habits that we push throughout the year. Those traits will help them not just in future math classes but in all of their academic pursuits down the road. I have truly enjoyed seeing these eighth graders grow, and I feel they have received a solid foundation for the high school classes that lie ahead, and while the 7th graders do have big jumps to take next year, they are in an excellent place so they too can be successful in the future.
I hope everyone has a great summer and is able to relax and recharge so they can come back even stronger next year to continue our educational journey together.
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Religion - Mr. Dunn
Farewell students! Summer is upon us!
Thank you everyone for being a part of religion class this year! My prayers go with you as you continue your journey of faith in high school. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Maranatha!
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Literature - Mrs. Fosbender
Where has the time gone? It is hard to believe that it is time to say good bye to our eighth grade students. Over the last two years I have seen so many positive changes in each and every student and expect to hear about all the wonderful things happening in their future. Thank you for sharing your children with us and I want to wish them the best of luck for next year and with their future!
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Social Studies - Mrs. Sullivan
The school year has come to an end. It is hard to believe as it seems like only yesterday that we started. I have so enjoyed each of the students in class and have especially enjoyed watching them grow, change, and learn over the year. As the 8th graders head off to their next adventure, I share with you one of my favorite quotes: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." — Eleanor Roosevelt.
We are looking forward to working with the 7th grade students next year. As junior high teachers, we are so lucky to see how much your children grow from the beginning of 7th grade to the end of 8th grade!
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Art - Mr. Pflaum
We had a wonderfully productive year in the St. Vincent de Paul art room. The students explored many techniques, learning about artists while using a variety of materials to create some awesome art. Please encourage your children to draw or create art during the summer. It is wonderful for their well-being!
Feel free to check the school art gallery private instagram as I will be updating it with recently completed artwork: https://www.instagram.com/svdpmrpflaumart/
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Computer - Mrs. Kuhr
Kindergarten
We started the month with writing sentences on a digital board, Jamboard. Students were able to type their sentences and shared them with students from the other classrooms.
1st Grade
Students used PhotoBooth on the Apple laptops to take pictures of themselves. They then created and added their photos to a Keynote to make a digital photo album.
2nd Grade
This month we finished our op art project. We then did a STEAM activity using pipe cleaners. Students had tasks to complete to solve puzzles and “escape the desk, space themed."
3rd Grade
Students this month finished up their stop motion GIFs using Google Slides. They created a brief animation over the phases of the moon. They then learned about AI art generators and in groups created a Google Slide that showcased the different AI art they created.
4th Grade
This month students were introduced to ASCII and created their own text art and coded it. They are now having a bit of fun with solving puzzles in a digital escape.
5th Grade
We talked about ciphers and learned about a couple different ones. The students created their own ciphers, and traded them with classmates to see how good was their cipher.
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Educational Strategists - Mrs. Heavey, Mrs. Price, Ms. Bousquet
Recent studies indicate that students lose about 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading and 26 percent of their school-year gains in math during the summer. This phenomenon is known as the “summer slide” and is particularly evident in younger children whose learning includes more fundamental skills like decoding, word reading, and math facts.
Fortunately, dedicating a few minutes to reading and math each day can help your children maintain the important academic skills they acquired this year.
Here are a few activities to consider:
Scholastic Read-a-Palooza Summer Reading Challenge:
This is free, educational program in which kids can enter reading minutes online to unlock exclusive digital rewards and help donate books to kids in need across the country.
Participate in the Omaha Public Library Summer Reading Program
Omaha Public Library offers numerous activities throughout the summer, including book tasting parties, story times, ooey gooey science, and many other activities.
Consider practicing math facts for a few minutes each day.
Simple Solutions, which SVdP students use throughout the school year to help reinforce essential math skills, has a book for each grade level called Summer Solutions. This book is a great resource to continue reinforcing the math skills students learned throughout the school-year.
Zearn is a free online resource where students learn math through pictures, models, and real-life examples.
Encourage your children to journal. Taking a few minutes to write about one’s day encourages self-reflection, but it also provides a stress-free opportunity for students to practice their handwriting, sentence structure, and story-telling skills.
Enjoy the summer! We look forward to hearing all the wonderful things our 8th graders will accomplish in high school and beyond, and we look forward to seeing our PK-7th grade students in August!
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Guidance - Mrs. Skudlarek
It is hard to believe this is the last classroom update of the year for guidance! It has been a phenomenal year. Thank you for sharing your children with us. We spent the last few weeks of school focusing on Careers. Students were asked to think about their future and what it may look like. Be sure to ask them about their future plans...some of them may hold on to these and not look back. Others seem to have a new idea each day. Either way, it is so important to nurture these ideas and goals to help shape our future doctors, lawyers, nurses, athletes, astronauts, hair stylists, teachers and more!
Summer Tips from the Counselor:
Sun Protection: Taking a few precautions can help reduce the chance of skin damage caused by the sun. Make sure kids wear at least SPF 30 sunscreen every time they go outside even if it isn't sunny outside. Overcast skies can be just as damaging to the skin as sunny skies. Have kids wear a hat and sunglasses if they feel comfortable, it is a great way to protect the ears, head, neck and eyes from sun exposure.
Swimming Safety: It is very wise to teach your children how to swim or take your child to swim lessons. Always make sure your child is supervised even if they are an excellent swimmer. When it rains or storms, no one should be in the water. Also make sure your child is aware of the rules at the pool, for example no running, pushing, etc.
Staying Hydrated: Kids should be drinking water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Carrying a water bottle through the day can really help to prevent dehydration and sluggishness. Drinking lots of water is so important especially when kids are out in the hot sun loosing water through sweat.
Bicycle Safety: Go over bicycle safety with your child before they go anywhere. There are many areas of the body that can be protected while riding a bike but the most important is the head. Bicycle helmets are extremely important and are available at discount stores and specialized sporting good stores.
Firework Safety: Kids should never be allowed to play with any type of fireworks of any kind. Fireworks give off a tremendous amount of heat and a serious burn or body part damage is always possible. Fireworks should be handled with supervision.
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HAL - Mrs. Miller
The students in the HAL program had a productive year full of learning new topics and accomplishing academic goals. The 4th graders spent May learning about geometry and representing/graphing data while 5th graders wrapped up the year learning about the coordinate plane and graphing. The pre-algebra class closed out the year with learning about slope of a line and functions. The 7th grade ended with probability and quadratic equations. In literature classes the 7th grade finished up The Graveyard Book and researched famous cemeteries. Figurative language was the focus for 8th graders as they read The Lie Tree. Their last HAL project was a mini one-pager illustrating the theme and 4 topics relating to the book. Thank you to all the parents for your support and sharing your children with me this year!
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Media Center - Mrs. Kaiser
Best wishes to all SVdP families for a blessed, safe, and well-read summer! Feel free to email anytime if you have questions about finding books for your child. I’m always happy to chat about things to read.
Grades K-2 ended the year creating and building models inspired by Iggy Peck, Architect. Grade 3 read The Couch Potato and used an online movie maker to create original stories featuring a fruit or vegetable. Grades 4 and 5 reviewed what we learned this year about using the library and good research practices.
Thank you to the following students and families who donated books to the SVdP library: Isabelle Weidauer, Trevor Luetkenhaus, and Autumn Luetkenhaus.
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Music - Mrs. LeMense
Our Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students are dancing into summer! We have enjoyed some folk dancing this last week of school.
I have enjoyed working with the 5th graders this year!
Next year, the 5th and 6th graders will come together to do one more show featuring songs from musicals.
This year’s 4th grade were WONDERFUL recorder players! Remember, they will play them for one more unit next year as 5th graders! So don’t lose the recorders!!
3rd graders learned a bit about the composers Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach.
Why didn’t Vivaldi like chickens? Because they just say, “Bach, Bach, Bach.” Haha!
Have a great summer!
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PE - Mrs. Conry
May was a fun month with many different activities. We used the scooters for relays, and noodle tag. Any opportunity for the students to go after each other with a pool noodle was very well received.
We moved on to Wiffle ball, which is a variation of baseball. Wiffle ball is intended to be played in a confined space. We used a plastic ball and a long and hollow plastic bat. We mixed team, and played girls against boys which was fun for the students. Many were happy to play this variation with baseball and softball games in full swing this time of year.
Lastly, we used an oversized, lightweight ball, and played kickball. The ball was light, and with it oversized, it was sometimes a challenge to catch it. Sometimes the ball would bounce off their hands and fly in another direction—lots of laughs and fun times.
Seventh grade, stay active and enjoy your summer. You have been a fun group to teach and be around.
Congrats 8th grade on your graduation. I have enjoyed my time with you and wish you the best in your next chapter.
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PE - Mr. Boone
Summer time is here! It’s time to go outside and get some more fresh air and be active as a family. This year has wrapped up and has been very successful. I’ve seen a lot of growth in your child’s skills and development. A few reminders as we head into the 2024-2025 school year. Those students who are going into 6th grade will need to purchase a PE uniform from either Dennis Uniforms or DiGiorgio’s. It will be a pair of red shorts and a navy blue t-shirt. I suggest buying one size larger than what your child wears now so that you will not have to purchase a new one each year. Also be on the look out at the used uniform sale as well. You might get lucky and find some there. I recommend putting your child’s name on the name tag of the shirt and shorts. There have been a lot of clothes left in the lost and found that have not been retrieved.
Lastly, I want to say thank you to all of my awesome volunteers at field day last week. You guys were amazing and made all of the stations enjoyable for the kids. I think that it was probably one of the most successful ones yet. Have a great summer and take the time to enjoy the time off. See you next year.
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Spanish 2nd-4th - Mrs. McDermott
Student's in 4th grade Spanish learned the names of over 30 sports.They practiced sports names by playing Charades and talked about their most favorite and least favorite sports using Me gusta (I like) and No me gusta (I don’t like).
Students in 3rd grade Spanish learned vocabulary words related to school (la escuela). They used words in Spanish to talk about people and places in school along with classroom items.
Students in 2nd grade Spanish learned the parts of the body in Spanish. They had fun playing Simon Dice (Simon Says) to practice parts of the body vocabulary. They also had fun drawing and labeling a funny creature with numerous body parts.
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Spanish 5th-8th - Mrs. Singh
¡Muchas Gracias! I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for welcoming me to SVdP this year.
Students in grades 5th-8th have progressed so much since August!
I was happy to hear students already talking about what they want to learn this next year.
5th graders just had time to finish the rough draft of their “Introductions” comic strip. I let them know that if they hold on to their work, it’s worth their first homework grade next year. We’ll start their 6th grade year by reviewing introductions and making a final copy of their comic!
6th graders completed their first oral presentation in Spanish. Students had to talk about their class schedules, including when the class was (1st class, 3rd class, 7th class of the day, etc.), who taught the class (naming the teacher, and finally stating one classroom object they needed for the class. ¡Mucho español!
7th graders had a culminating project to write a script and present a skit about ordering food in a restaurant. Students made amazing props to utilize in their presentation. They also paid using the currency of their chosen Spanish speaking country. Bilingual actors in the making!
8th graders focused on learning about verb conjugations this year. For their final project, they chose a Spanish-speaking country and researched about their currency, traditional food, interesting places to visit, geographical features, which cultures influenced their country, and the current President/Leader of the country.
They used Google Slides to present their information to class. I think everyone has the travel bug now—so many beautiful places to visit and speak Spanish!
As I reflect on this year, I keep in mind Romans 12:12
Estad alegres en la esperanza, pacientes en la aflicción, perseverantes en la oración.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and persistent in prayer.
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